News from your North Beach PTA
October 15, 2020
Dates to Remember
- Sunday, October 18: DEI Committee Meeting, 3:30 p.m.
- Wednesday, October 21: SPS Board Meeting, 3:30 p.m.
- Monday, October 26: Deadline for Online & Mail Voter Registration
- Tuesday, November 3: Election Day!
- Wednesday, November 1: Veteran's Day - No School
A Note from Our Principal
Hello North Beach families,
I hope you were able to attend your child’s curriculum night presentation last evening. If not, you will receive a link to the presentation soon. Seattle Public Schools is supporting a new communication platform, Talking Points. This new tool provides two-way machine/human translated text functionality in over 100 home languages. While this tool was purchased to support English Learner families, it will benefit everyone. Talking Points will improve our ability to communicate with all North Beach families. All families are automatically signed up to receive communication from TalkingPoints but can easily opt out. Training is currently underway for staff. More information can be found at:
https://www.seattleschools.org/district/calendars/news/what_s_new/talking_points
Have a wonderful weekend!
Kristine McLane
Principal
North Beach Elementary
From the Office
Please continue to send in your Emergency Contact/Release form as well as your Ferpa form. If you need hard copies mailed to you, contact sbbradley@seattleschools.org or cmhostetler@seattleschools.org
Emergency contact/release
Ferpa
https://www.seattleschools.org/UserFiles/Servers/Server_543/File/forms/ferpa/Ferpa_pk_english.pdf
Counselor's Corner
Will the Pandemic socially stunt our kids?
The quick answer is: unlikely! Reassuring articles can be hard to come by these days, so I'm sharing a quick read from the New York Times parenting page this week to offer some reassurance.
You know your children best. If you are seeing behavioral changes or clear signs of withdrawal or anxiety or have other concerns, please reach out to me, Alysa Reid, at arreid@seattleschools.org or leave a message at (206) 252-1535.
News from the PTA
Thank you to all the staff for taking the time to host curriculum night!
Beth Carmen is chairing the committee for the PTA’s annual fundraiser. This can be a big job
and we appreciate her hard work. Volunteer help is always appreciated. Please e-mail Beth if
you can give her some of your time. bb.carman@greentab.net
A few class rooms still need room parents. This is not a large time commitment, yet is important
to help us hear about happenings in individual classes and grades. Teachers Griffon-Holton,
Janzen, and Hoffman still need room parents. Please see the sign-up on Konstella or email
Debbie Wayne. debbiewayne@gmail.com
Need Help?
Could your family use some extra support? As the Pandemic drags on, we know
families in our community are struggling for various reasons. If you are having
trouble meeting your family’s basic needs of food, clothing, bills, etc., help is
available. We can share resources for support in the community and also have
access to limited funds for providing support to families from our PTA and from
North Beach’s Right Now Needs Funds. If your family would benefit from extra
support, please contact School Counselor Alysa Reid at arreid@seattleschools.org.
Your name and information will be kept confidential.
Important Flu Shot Clinic Updates
The flu clinic will NOT be held at North Beach Elementary School this year. Instead, there are 32 Drive-Thru Flu Shot Clinics currently in session. In addition to accepting all types of medical insurance, Seattle Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) are now offering flu shots free of charge for the uninsured. Please click the link below for more detailed information:
https://www.seattleschools.org/departments/health_services/flu_clinics
You may also click the below link to schedule an appointment at a location near you.
https://schedule.seattlevna.com/home/158debe5-7cec-ea11-a817-000d3a31a6ee
Note: The scheduling system is a bit tricky and will only allow one person to be scheduled at a given time. Please make additional appointments (in the next time slots) for each person getting a flu shot. You do not need to wait for the next scheduled appointments. They will administer all flu shots at the same time.
Join the PTA!
Make your voice heard! The NBE PTA provides advocacy and funding for our students. By joining the PTA you say YES to counselors, tutors, art supplies, classroom technology, library books, and more. JOIN TODAY and while you’re at it donate to the school supplies fund!
Join the PTA here!
Family Support Survey
We are looking for ways to support North Beach families during this challenging year. North Beach parent and Parent Educator Katie Gruver and I are teaming up to offer regular family support sessions on a variety of topics to those who are interested. If you haven’t already, please take a minute to complete this survey letting us know what is working well for you and your family, what is not and your ideas for what else would be helpful. Thank you for your time and thoughts!
The North Beach Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Team
Next meeting: Sunday 10/18 3:30-4:30pm
We will be talking about next steps on our upcoming priorities: Supporting staff's wants/needs, exploring school partnerships with Title 1 schools, diversifying books & art in the school and additional community building and activism ideas. Contact katie.gruver@gmail.com if you'd like to join!
If your child is interested in joining a club supporting LGBTQIA allyship, please connect with Joanna Braden joannaunze@gmail.com
North Beach PTA’s Grounding Principles
Black lives matter,
Science is real,
Women’s rights are human rights
No human is illegal,
Love is love,
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, and
​Kindness is never wasted
Denunciation of White Supremacy & Hate Speech
We condemn and denounce white supremacy, hate speech and actions against ANY individual or group of people.
SPS Meal Distribution Program is for EVERYONE!
**This resource is for EVERYONE! Please come and try out the great lunch options**
Free lunch at North Beach Monday-Friday from 11:15 to 1:15! The food is picked up just inside the front doors. You can pick up sack breakfasts and lunches prepared by the SPS central kitchen. Because of social distancing health guidance, families and students may not stay at school to eat. Meals are available for all students, parents and guardians. The USDA has approved free meals for all families!
The program is offered to ALL SPS students AND their families. Community participation is encouraged. Breakfast, Lunch and often dinner items through FareStart are available. Nearby sites include: North Beach Elementary (at main entrance of school on 24th ave NW), Whittier Elementary (entrance on 13th ave NW at covered playground) and Adams Elementary (site on north side of school on NW 62nd). Your participation in these programs keeps them viable for others who rely on them and helps job security for our wonderful nutrition services employees.
October is Dyslexia Awareness Month
School Board Meetings are online!
Attending School Board Meetings no longer requires driving and parking downtown! The board meets for regular meetings twice a month, and special meetings throughout the month. Reopening plans, construction projects, curriculum - decisions are discussed and made. Email klabelle@gmail.com to learn more about attending a meeting to help us track what is happening. You can find out more here.
Join Seattle Special Education PTSA!
If you have been considering joining the Seattle Special Education PTSA, now is the time! Please visit their website and do it now. www.seattlespecialeducationptsa.org.
Support North Beach Elementary When You Shop!
Amazon Smile: 0.5% of eligible purchases back to North Beach!
https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1320831
Shutterfly: 8% of Purchases come back to North Beach!
Shop for cards and photos at www.NorthBeach.ShutterflyStoreFront.com and help contribute 8% to the North Beach PTA!
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Community News & Events (The programs below are not endorsed by either North Beach PTA or SPS, and are posted for informational purposes only.)
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School Programs
Boys & Girls Club
Questions? 206-582-3512 or choover@positiveplace.org.
Registration Information and enrollment paperwork is available at: http://positiveplace.org/locations/childcare/Pages/northbeachchildcare.aspx
Small Faces
The school-aged program at Small Faces serves kindergarten through fifth grade children. At the end of the school day, a school bus takes kids to Small Faces Center where they are greeted by teachers and offered a snack before the program activities begin. Doors close at 6pm. Contact Kathy Brockman with questions and to enroll: kbrockman@smallfaces.org
Illumination Learning Studio
Illumination Learning Studio provides After School Programs for children K-5. We provide transportation after school each day. This is an arts-focused educational program. Please visit our website for more information https://www.illuminationlearningstudio.com/.
Beachcomber Email
Article submissions for this newsletter are due by 5:00pm Wednesdays. Please send articles to beachcomber@northbeachpta.org
About North Beach Elementary
PTA website: northbeachelementary.org
School website: northbeaches.seattleschools.org
Email: beachcomber@northbeachpta.org
Website: northbeachelementary.org
Location: 9018 24th Avenue NW Seattle, WA 98117
Phone: (206) 252-1510
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/northbeachpta/
Twitter: @sealsnorthbeach